PROTON MAGNETIC-RESONANCE THERMAL-ANALYSIS OF ARGONNE PREMIUM COALS

The eight Argonne Premium coals were examined by using proton magnetic resonance thermal analysis (PMRTA). A new empirical parameter that is related to the second moment of the truncated frequency spectrum of the NMR signal is described and is used to quantify the fusion behavior of coal. The two lowest rank Argonne coals show the same fusion behavior as Australian brown coals of comparable atomic H-C ratios. The temperatures at which fusion of the Argonne bituminous coals occurs are not significantly different from those of Australian coals of the same carbon content. However, the clear relationship found between the fusibility of Australian bituminous coals and hydrogen content is not observed for the Argonne coals. The enhanced fusibility of some of the Argonne Premium coals as compared to Australian coals with the same hydrogen content may be due to the higher sulfur content of those Argonne coals.